by Emilia Finn
On the way past the couch in little denim shorts and an oversized Rollin Gym sweatshirt, she leans close and drops a long kiss on my lips. “Be nice to him, Rook. Nobody likes a grump.”
“Don’t wanna.”
Laughing, she twirls out of my hands and swings the front door open with a flourish. “Top of the morning to ya, Chief!”
Used to her crazy now, he chuckles and steps in. “Good morning, Andi. How are you doing today?”
“Aw, you know. I didn’t lose my leg or anything.”
Shaking my head, I drop my face into my hands and breathe through her wild outbursts.
“So it’s a good day, then?”
“Yessir! Hey, Oz.” Surprised, I turn to face my front door and watch Oz take Dee in a long hug. I didn’t expect him to come today. I didn’t expect X to bring in backup for our weekly chat. “How are the babies? How’d Benny do on his paper?”
He releases her with a roll of his eyes. “As if you don’t already know. I heard him talking to you on the phone this morning.”
She smacks his shoulder and wears a wide smile. “But I wanted to hear it from you. Tell me how proud you are of the little asshole.”
Rubbing his shoulder, he pulls his hat off and chuckles. “I’m so proud, Andi. I watched him study for weeks. He didn’t like it, he didn’t wanna do it, but my boy is now the proud owner of a paper on Romeo and Juliet. Who knew he was a romantic at heart?”
“It’s not a romance!” she laughs. “Everyone dies. I’m surprised Benny’s research didn’t turn that up.” She moves around the two men and pushes the front door closed. The wind still has a little chill to it; it’s not open windows season, but it’s also not cold enough for a fire. It’s just in-between and perfect for too-small shorts and snuggling. “Come on in. Are you talking business? Or do we want sweet tea and brownies?”
Alex’s serious eyes flip away from mine and land on Andi’s. “What kinda brownies you got, Miss. Conner? Because I’m starting to consider felony charges.”
“You’re so cute when you use those big cop words.” She spins away and heads toward the kitchen. “You boys all think you’re so bad using words like squatter… charges… stalker… restraining order. On a scale of one to none, how scared do y’all think I am?” She pulls a pitcher of tea from the fridge and sets it on the counter. Reaching up and collecting tall tumblers, she reminds me of my first day back home so long ago. When she tried to force me to accept her help. When I threw the glass across the room and made a mess… and broke her heart. “It’s just normal tea, chief. And there are no brownies, but I made rainbow cupcakes. You want some?”
“No thanks, Andi. Actually…” His eyes come back to mine. “We came to talk to the rook about something kinda serious.”
“I’m not coming back, X.”
“Well, that’s not why we’re here today.” He and Oz move forward slowly. Like they’re approaching a skittish animal and don’t want to scare him off… scare me off. “Something has come up. Something kinda big that you might wanna know about, and we didn’t want you to hear about it from a random in the street.”
“I don’t hear anything. I’m never in the street.”
Oz sits on the single chair near mine and rests his ballcap on his knee. “Right, but this is kinda big. It’s rocking our world right now. Ahh… It’s rocking Jess’ the most.”
“Jess? Lenaghan?” Sensing the guys’ serious tone, Andi rockets across the room and drops down beside me. Her hand forces mine from a tight fist out so our fingers lace. “Something wrong with her, Chief? She’s okay, right? She doesn’t deserve more shit.”
“Well… that’s just the thing.” Alex sits his ass on my coffee table and runs a hand through his hair. “She’s been sitting her bar exams. She’s been a mess since everything went down, since Kane was killed and the club burned down. She’s been dealing with burns to her legs and arms, and grieving so bad we all worried she might do something… well… something kinda crazy to make it easier. The kinda crazy that can’t be reversed.” He blows out a gusty breath and shows me a window into the world I’ve been ignoring for months. I didn’t stop to think about her grief. I didn’t stop to ask about burials for Kane and Jay. I didn’t ask about anything, because I was so caught up in my own shit.
“Maybe I should call her… Or I guess I could send flowers or something.” I turn to Andi. “We can send flowers, right? Is that the right thing to do? I don’t fuckin’ kno–”
“I’m not done,” Alex inserts. “On top of all that, on top of all the shit that’s been going down, and all the loose ends that are still being tied up, she’s been studying for the bar. She’s been working toward this for years; it’s been her dream since she was seven and realized she could debate her way out of anything. She gets off on arguing with people.”
“Kinda like Jules,” Oz chuckles.
“Yeah, well…” Alex shakes his head. “Jess sat her exams this week.”
“Okay…” A man with my life experience knows when the shit is about to drop. He knows when someone is giving only snippets of news and not the parts that are most important. “Get to the point, X.”
“Yesterday was her last day.”
“Good for her. Now get to the fuckin’ point!’
Silence falls over my home. From a dancing Andi, a snorting Nacho, and a purring Ninja, to awkward silences and a heaviness in the air that steals my breath. My eyes flip from Alex’s to Oz’s. To Andi’s, but she’s as in the dark as I am. I look back to Alex, and will him to speak before I lose my shit.
“Bishop ain’t dead.”
Which Bishop? I don’t know. I didn’t ask.
The second that name passed X’s lips, I bound up from my chair and ran as fast as my fake leg would allow. Wallet. Phone. Keys. I was out the door with Andi’s hand in mine before my colleagues had a chance to catch us.
I dove into the passenger seat, allowing Andi to drive, since I haven’t mastered that with my new leg yet, and I directed her across town to the house I know those brothers stayed in during their time undercover.
They didn’t know I knew.
They didn’t know anyone knew their secrets, but if I’m expected to lie to my boss for a whole fucking year, the boss I respected so much, just the idea of lying made me sick to my stomach, then I needed to know what I was lying for.
I needed to know it was worth it.
It only took a matter of weeks for me to run by at the exact right time. For me to catch sight of Eric and Jay leaving the suburban home in the early hours of the morning on their way out, for me to sneak my ass into their house, and to find what I needed.
It’s not like I’d found signed affidavits that swore they’re good guys.
I didn’t find much of anything to prove they were good people, but I found a home-style war room, with years of collected information on Abel Hayes. I found legally obtained weapons. I found plans on how to take a drug cartel down, dates and times of crimes committed by Abel Hayes himself, stacks of evidence lined up and cataloged in such a way nothing would be lost or forgotten when it was time to take the guy down.
I was looking for proof that we were all on the same team, that they weren’t in Abel’s pocket, that they weren’t skimming the product or profits.
Both relief and dread settled in my belly once I got my answers; relief, because they weren’t dirty, and dread, because I would soon be one of them.
Once I determined they were fighting the war they were asking me to join, I returned their calls and swore my allegiance. Because killing girls before they’ve had a chance to grow, selling drugs to children who’ve yet to finish school, and hurting people who have literally nothing to do with Abel’s world except the fact they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, are the very reasons I joined the force.
Helping them was the right thing to do, even if lying to my boss made me ill.
As soon as Andi pulls into the driveway, I unbuckle my belt and lever my way out of the car. I wish it
were more of a ‘I fly out of the car and demand answers’, but I don’t fly anymore. I’m not superman, and I can’t do anything but skip-hop and hobble these days.
“Slow down, Riley. Let me help you.” Andi rushes to my side and extends a hand. “I feel like we’re going into battle or something.”
“Yeah, I think maybe we are.” I lift my left leg out and set it on the concrete driveway. There’s no stealth to our movements. No secrecy. Whoever’s inside already knows we’re here. “Can you wait in the car, Deedee?” I stand with a grunt, and tower over her head. Her hands rest on my hips to steady me, my hands on her shoulders while I catch my balance. “These guys are my friends… well…” I shrug. “Sorta. They were. But I don’t know what the story is right now, and I’m not sure how stable everyone is. Can you stay in the car and wait for me? I won’t be lo–”
Smiling, she shakes her head and presses a kiss to my chest. “I know you know I’m coming with you. There’s no way in hell I’m staying behind, so don’t be dumb; it doesn’t look good on you.”
“Deedee… these guys are dangerous.”
“They’re cops! You said so.”
“Right. But they’re not like me, X, or Oz. These are a different kind of cop, and one of them has been dead for months. I don’t know who’s inside, or what we’ll find. I don’t know if I’m the enemy now, since one of them didn’t make it. I don’t know if I’m a dead man, since Abel hurt Jess… Deedee, I don’t trust the situation enough to let you come.”
Ignoring my wishes – like usual – she twines her fingers with mine and takes a step away. “Why don’t we go knock on the door and see? I’m not leaving you now. I’ve worked too hard since you were hurt to let you shut me out now. We’re a team, right? Plus, you forgot your crutches. You’re gonna need me in five minutes when you get tired. Stop playing hard to get, and let’s just go in.”
I allow her to drag me along the driveway and across the path that leads to the front steps. Stopping at the bottom, I look up and count them; four steps, and one prosthetic leg. Dee makes a move to go up, but I pull her back. “Behind me, Dee. You’re not my vest.”
“You’re protecting me?” Her eyes sparkle; part teasing, part emotional. “You’re not allowed to get shot again, Riley. I’ll be super mad if we have to start back at the start again.”
“I won’t shut you out, I promise.” I pull her back until she’s completely hidden behind my body, then I place my spare hand on the rail and hoist myself up. “Just…. Be cool, okay? Be quiet.”
Jay or Kane? Jay or Kane? Jay or Kane?
She scoffs. “I’m always cool. I’m cooler than Snoop. I’m cooler than Fofty. I’m cooler than the entire Rat Pack.”
“Dee. Shush. And what the hell is a Fofty?”
“It’s the new and improved Fifty, now you shush.” She comes around to my side when the front door cracks open ahead of us. Protective, despite my orders to shut up and stay back, she shields me when Eric DeWhit steps out with a gun in his hands and a type of feral anger in his eyes.
“We need privacy.” He lifts the gun. “We’re not open to visitors at this point.”
“Who’s we, Eric?” I climb another stair and inadvertently draw his eyes to my leg. His brows shoot high, his posture relaxes just the smallest fraction. “Who’s inside?”
“Bishop. What happened to your leg?”
“Which Bishop?” I drag Andi back when she gets a little too enthusiastic and places herself between me and Eric’s gun. “Which Bishop, Eric? Because last I heard, they both bit it.”
“What happened to your leg?” Like he trusts my leg to keep me slow, he steps back and allows me to climb onto the porch. He looks me up and down, then arches his neck and studies Andi. “What happened to his leg?”
“Bear attack.” She shrugs. “It was so unfortunate, but that’s what happens when you steal a bear’s picnic lunch. Now we know.”
“Now we know.” Eric’s playful smile, the smile I remember from a few nights hanging with these guys, turns up a couple notches and extinguishes the flames in his eyes. “Seriously, what happened?”
“Hayes got me.” As soon as my words register in Eric’s brain, I tug Andi back when his gun hand flexes. “The night he took the sisters, I got hurt. A week after that, they took my leg before it killed me.”
“Nobody told us that,” he snaps. “Nobody told us shit. You need a…” He blows out a breath of uncertainty. “You need to sit or something? Need a hand?”
“Not a hand, but I could use a leg.”
“Riley?!” Andi smacks my arm and almost tackles me to the side when she throws her arms around my stomach. “Jesus, that was like, your first ever leg joke. You’ve got jokes.” She looks to Eric. “He’s got jokes!”
“Alright.” Chuckling, he drops his gun and pushes the front door wide open. “Whatever. I feel like a dick making you stand. Come in for a sec and sit down. I wanna hear your side of the story.”
“Which Bishop, Eric? I just got word, but don’t know which one is–”
“Jay’s gone.” As soon as I move through the front door, I stop on Kane standing at the bottom of the stairs in a similar position as me; with a hand clasped tightly in his, and a woman’s body tucked close behind his back. Jess Lenaghan is not meek or small, she’s the lawyer that was going to bat for this thug in the middle of a police station four months ago, but now she stays behind him. She’s not hiding, so much as she’s holding him close. She’s refusing to let him go. “Jay didn’t make it,” he repeats. “What are you doing here?”
“Jay’s gone?” It’s a standoff of men and women; me at the front door, Kane at the bottom of his stairs, and Eric in the middle. Kane’s girl is platinum blonde, and mine is raven haired. Kane’s world is dark and dangerous, and mine, before losing my leg, was light and as shallow as they come.
We’re opposites in every way.
But we still worked for the same team, and we both mourn for the same man. I mourned their deaths while I sat alone in a shitty hospital room and wished the same fate for myself, but now Kane’s back, and mourning for Jay starts all over again. Twice the potency. Twice the ache. “He didn’t make it?”
“Nope, but I don’t wanna talk about it. If you have nothing pressing to discuss right now, I’d rather you leave.”
“Jess?” Andi leans around me, clutches to my hand, and makes a silly face when Kane angles his body to shield her. “You okay back there? Are the barbarians holding you against your will? Or is it more of a sex slave thing where you need more private time after a few months apart?”
“I’m here because I want to be.” She steps around him, un-shielding herself, and making Kane scowl. “I just got him back, so maybe you could come back in a couple years. We’re not done catching up.”
“The sex thing.” Andi looks to me. “It’s the sex thing, so maybe we should respect their w–”
“I’m not here to take anyone away.” My leg aches from standing for so long without crutches or so much as a stick to lean on, and with my bodies’ attempts to shield Dee rather than use her to keep me up, sweat breaks out on my brow. “Can I sit for a minute? I’m about to fall on my ass, and I’d rather not do that here.”
“You could just get in the car and sit there,” Kane offers. “I bet that would be comfortable for you.”
“You’re really rude.” Andi points a finger, but when the thug lifts a dangerous brow, she changes her statement. “Okay, you’re a little bit rude. You don’t have to be rude.”
“I was dead until yesterday, Conner. My girl thought I was dead until yesterday. We’re not done talking.”
“How do you know my name?” She turns to me. “How does he know my name?”
“It’s their job to know who’s around. Don’t worry about it.” I pull her back again. “I’d really like a chance to talk, Bish. In my world, you were dead until three minutes ago. Now you’re back, but you’re telling me Jay is still dead. All I know is I was conscripted into a war I never start
ed, found brothers in arms, lost those brothers, took a bullet to the belly, lost a leg, and now here we are, and I still have no fucking answers. My boss doesn’t trust me anymore. My leg is in a lab somewhere on its own. I nearly lost my girl because of my own shitty attitude. And today I find out you’re not dead at all.” I throw a hand up to distract myself from my shaking leg. Its about to fail. I’m about to drop and sprawl onto the hard floor. “I just want answers, Bish. I need closure.”
Led to the living room when Kane gives him the go-ahead, Eric tosses bags and shit to the floor and makes space for Andi and I to sit. Kane leads Jess into the room, sits on the arm of the recliner to my left, and shields her some more when she slides onto the chair and brings her bare legs up.
“You get twenty minutes. That’s it. You ask your questions, then you leave. We don’t have beef, but Jess is my priority right now, and you’re getting in the way of that.”
“You stood in front of me,” Jess whispers. Leaning around Kane, her eyes meet mine. “You got shot right in front of me. I never asked if you were okay.”
“And the fact you took her bullets is the only reason you get your twenty minutes.” Kane’s dark eyes blaze. He’s like a cocaine addict, and he’s hanging out for his hit. Jess is his hit, and our turning up here has blocked him from getting it. “Ask your questions.”
“Jay?”
“Is still dead. He never made it out of the club.”
“He took a bullet for me, too,” Jess whimpers. “Everybody took my bullets.”
Still the badass, still shielding her and staring me off, Kane’s hand sneaks back to stroke Jess’ leg in comfort. “Next question.”
“Abel Hayes?”
“I took him out personally. I popped him between the eyes and didn’t walk away until I knew he was out.”
“Where’d you go? After that, until now, you’ve been gone. Where’d you go?”
“Brass pulled me in. As far as the world knew, I was dead. I was invisible to Abel’s organization, so my people were using me to find the top dog while I was a ghost.”